Shaquille O’Neal spent three years as a basketball player at LSU before moving onto an NBA career that saw him visit the NBA Finals six times and win four championships. That's almost unfathomable now, given that he averaged 13.9 points and 12 rebounds as a freshman.

Perhaps based on his own experience, he believes three years in college is a good idea for all players before they enter the NBA draft.

Shaquille O'Neal, who played three seasons at LSU, would like to see players remain in college longer before entering the NBA. (AP Photo)

Speaking to the NCAA convention Tuesday in Grapevine, Texas, O’Neal said if he were in charge of draft eligibility rules, it would “probably say three-and-done.”

The NBA has had an age limit of 19 and one year out of high school for all draft entrants since the 2007 draft. Previously, players had to be 18 and could attempt to make the league directly out of high school.

When O’Neal was in college it never happened. That changed three years after he finished his college career, when Kevin Garnett entered the draft directly out of Chicago’s Farragut Academy in 1995. For a decade, it became common for high school players to enter the draft, and now it is common for players to leave college after a single season.

It’s derisively called “one-and-done,” and NCAA president Mark Emmert has repeatedly denounced the practice. In negotiating its most recent collective bargaining agreement, the NBA attempted to bump up the limit to age 20 and two years removed from high school. But the idea was tabled at the close of a long lockout and the 19 limit remains in place.

"A lot of guys do it because of their financial situation, and they need to do it. That's the only way to provide a better means for their family,” O’Neal said, according to the Associated Press. “So when you look at it from that aspect, I understand it."

Kentucky’s John Calipari, who has coached a number of one-and-done players, has been most outspoken about his desire for the age limit to be increased to 20, an idea that has gained broader support among college coaches in recent years.